,--*†£§@## ##@§£†*--,
,,--*†£§@# #@§£†*--,,
,,,--*†£§@ @§£†*--,,,
,,,,--*†£§ §£†*--,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ £†*--,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† WINDS ESKER †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* ---------------------------------------- *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, KEPT ME AWAY. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN £†*--,,,,,
,,,,--*†£§ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND §£†*--,,,,
,,,--*†£§@ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND @§£†*--,,,
,,--*†£§@# BLUEBERRIES. #@§£†*--,,
,--*†£§@## ##@§£†*--,
,,--*†£§@# WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO #@§£†*--,,
,,,--*†£§@ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE @§£†*--,,,
,,,,--*†£§ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I §£†*--,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY £†*--,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ AWAY. £†*--,,,,,
,,,,--*†£§ §£†*--,,,,
,,,--*†£§@ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE @§£†*--,,,
,,--*†£§@# ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, #@§£†*--,,
,--*†£§@## FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ##@§£†*--,
,,--*†£§@# REMEMBER. #@§£†*--,,
,,,--*†£§@ @§£†*--,,,
,,,,--*†£§ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF §£†*--,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME £†*--,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, GROUND ITSELF. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† FORK. †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ £†*--,,,,,
,,,,--*†£§ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. §£†*--,,,,
,,,--*†£§@ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. @§£†*--,,,
,,--*†£§@# HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS #@§£†*--,,
,--*†£§@## MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ##@§£†*--,
,,--*†£§@# OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP #@§£†*--,,
,,,--*†£§@ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD @§£†*--,,,
,,,,--*†£§ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS §£†*--,,,,
,,,,,--*†£ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE £†*--,,,,,
,,,,,,--*† BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. †*--,,,,,,
,,,,,,,--* *--,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- ---------------------------------------- --,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-- --,,,,,,,,